1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a relay server and a relay communication system that enable resource sharing via a network.
2. Description of the Related Art
A communication system referred to as a Virtual Private Network (VPN) is known in the conventional art. The VPN is used, for example, to provide communication over the Internet between terminals connected to a Local Area Network (LAN) of a plurality of branch offices (base points) established in separate regions. Through the use of the VPN, each client terminal can share various resources (such as folders, files, etc.) held by apparatuses connected to another LAN arranged in a remote location.
In the VPN, when a plurality of shared resources are separately stored in different client terminals, it is necessary to perform an operation for copying or replicating the plurality of resources several times so as to store them in a local storage unit, or the like. Accordingly, it has been desired to improve convenience of handling the resources.